The Moments Keep Piling, Life Keeps Altering
by Rowan Hiding in the Nightshade
Summary: "Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after." For this young girl, that moment came too soon in life. A few years gave her another. Now she spends her days at Wayne Manor, and her nights kicking ass on the streets. But then the team forms, and another moment alters her life.
1. Chapter 1

It was an abandoned warehouse. This was the type of thing the Joker, the Penguin, or Two-Face would use for their mysterious scheme. This was not a place where they were expecting to find young children whose blood had been defiled in an attempt to create super-powered soldiers. Especially not in Gotham, where there was an unspoken rule that Poison Ivy was the only meta allowed.

But that is just what they found. There were seven of them. All around the ages of ten or eleven. Nothing else connected them. Appearance, ethnicity, upbringing, even genders were different. Four girls and three boys. But only one was of special importance.

She was there the longest, the first taken. She was also the only one they had tested on so far. An albino, the scientists found her especially unique. Her white hair had grown long, to her legs. Her clothes were ripped jeans, a worn purple hoodie, and scuffed up black converse.

While Batman dealt with the thugs, Robin was sent to calm down the children. He had approached them quietly, slowly, and with his hands out in the open. He tried his best to get them to come to him. But they all stood behind the little girl, as if she could protect all of them. As he continued to try, she made a hand gesture. Immediately, the others all rushed to him.

The girl approached, slowly, cautiously. She stood a foot away from him before pulling something out of her hoodie pocket. It was a notebook. She wrote on a fresh page," I don't really care what happens to me, but protect them. Save them. Then I'll be able to die happy." She gave it to Robin carefully so the others couldn't read it.

Robin said," Batman and I are saving all of you. He's beating up the guards and destroying the data as we speak." He handed back the notebook just as carefully before adding," Let's head up so we can get you all back to your families or other guardians."

The kids all looked at the girl once more. She nodded. They turned their attention to Robin. He led them up and out, where they were met with the sight of police.

It was fairly easy to take them all back to their families or place them in foster homes. Except for two of them. The boy with the green scarf took awhile to part with the purple-hoodied girl. He gave her a hug and kept whispering things to her and saying he wanted to stay with her. But the girl kept pushing him toward his loving fathers, as if saying 'You no longer belong with me.'

The girl with the purple hoodie was a different matter all together. Nobody could weasel her name out of her. She would ignore everyone who talked to them, in favor of doodling in her small notebook. Eventually, Commissioner Gordon approached her in hopes of getting her to open up.

He noticed the sketch was a very realistic portrait of Robin. It looked so real, it seemed it could come off the page. He asked," So, you like to draw, huh? Do you always draw others, or do you draw other things?"

The girl continued to draw, working on the details of the suit. The R became prominent soon. Gordon asked," Would you tell me your name? It might help us find your home. You know, before everything."

The girl's grip around her pencil tightened, but that was the only indication anyone's had that she's been listening all night. She quickly moved to work on shading the landscape, only stopping when she needed to brush back some hair.

Gordon continued trying," Please, I just want to help you. Tell me your name."

Finally, the girl turned to a new page and began writing," I haven't the foggiest as to my name. They called us all by a color in there. I was Violet, as shown by my hoodie. They took me too young to remember much of anything."

She ripped it out, gave it to the Commissioner, and continued with shading her drawing. The pencil was small and old-looking. The eraser was gone. She must have had it for years.

Gordon sighed before leaving the girl to her notebook. He walked to his office and dialed a number he was familiar with. It rang a few times until he heard a British man answer," Wayne residence. How might we be of service to you?"

Gordon responded," Hey, Alfred. I need a favor from Bruce. Batman found this lab tonight, but one of the kids they experimented on doesn't know her name. We can't place her until we learn it, so could you guys let her stay there for a few nights?"

There was a pause that Gordon assumed meant Alfred had moved to ask Bruce. He heard Bruce on the phone as he agreed," It wouldn't be a problem with us. Anything to help our boys in blue. I'll send Alfred to come pick her up. He'll be there shortly."

-At the Manor because the retrieval and drive would be boring-

When they pulled up to the manor, Dick was ready to meet the girl he had saved as Robin that night. She intrigued him, because she didn't talk and was the leader for the group of kids. So as soon as she stepped into the house, he exclaimed," Hi! You must be the girl Gordon was talking about. You look interesting. I knew another albino when I was in the circus. He was the knife-thrower. He was a French guy named Jacques."

Bruce chuckled," Calm down, chum. She's only been free for four hours. You might scare her."

The girl, however, wasn't paying attention to the conversation. She was looking around the huge house, amazed that they were putting her _here_. She thought she would be on the streets, dead or dying. She could already feel the starvation taking a toll. She normally gave her meager rations to the others.

She had even told Robin she didn't care what happened to her in hopes they would let her die. The nameless experiment's death to come after freedom for the others was always how she thought she would die. Now, she was given the most luxurious night of them all.

Alfred seemed to notice her undernourishment. He tapped her shoulder to gain her attention before asking," Would you like something to eat?"

The girl nodded slightly, so Alfred went to heat up some chicken noodle soup for her. Bruce noticed the lack of speech, and decided to get her a check-up tomorrow with Leslie Thompkins. For now, he led her to the table to eat and discuss living arrangements.

Soon, she was staring a bowl of soup as Bruce asked," We have many guest rooms that are ready for you. Is there a specific area you would want to sleep?"

The girl takes out her notebook again. She wrote on it," Whatever would be easiest for you is fine. I wouldn't even be picky if you had me sleep under the table." She slid it to him as she took her first bite of soup.

Bruce read the message and said," In that case, I would prefer to give you the room next to Dick's. That way, you can easily get our help if you need it. My room is across from his."

The girl nodded as she ate the rest of the soup in her bowl. It was a quiet meal, as neither initiated any other conversation. It was also five in the morning, but that meant little to either of them. So, Bruce led her to the room after she finished her bowl.

They didn't see her again until about noon. She seemed freshly washed, with newly brushed hair. Her clothes, however, remained the same.

Bruce asked," Did you sleep well?"

The girl pulled out her notebook and wrote," As well as a freed experiment can, I guess. Slept about three hours, tidied myself up, lounged around in there. When I leave, I'm taking the stationary with me. Got it rich man?"

She tossed it to him, and found her way to a seat far enough down the table they could easily communicate and still as far as possible. Bruce chuckled as he read it and passed it onto Dick. He asked," I wanted to get you a check-up. A doctor we trust, Leslie Thompkins, is free today. Would you be alright with going?"

The girl merely nodded as she recovered her notebook and opened to the drawing she started in the precinct. Now, she put images in a few windows of other buildings. A man watching t.v., a woman at her desk, a child asleep. Just everyday life.

The bats took notice of the drawing. Dick asked," Do you like Robin? Have you met him before?" Despite knowing the second one's answer, he couldn't help but ask.

The girl flipped to a new page and wrote," He's the one that collected us while the Bat faced the goons. He did the job I asked. He's earned my respect, I guess. But that's not why I drew him." She showed the boys the message.

Dick asked," Why did you draw him then?"

The girl answered," I was taken before he came around, but the others kept telling me that he'd save us. I knew the Bat terrified others, so I wasn't sure what to expect. He, well he was what I drew for the others a lot.

" They weren't ever right, seeing as I hadn't seen anything about him. The kids didn't care though. They said it meant we would work together to save them. Now that I've seen him, I wanted to draw him the way he really looked. Give it to Green. He believed most." She gave them the page before continuing to add details. After the windows, she added trash on the roof and the streets.

Bruce was concerned by the response. He knew Robin was only out for two years, but that didn't help him. It meant that was the minimum time they had her. And the way she wrote 'the kids', as if she wasn't one was also unsettling.

The rest of the meal was also eaten in silence. Alfred's blackened tilapia and Greek salad was a delicious light meal, which was all they were sure the girl could stomach. They weren't sure how often she had been fed, but they wanted to make sure it wouldn't be too much. It was a bit hard to tell with the hoodie.

–At the Clinic, because no conversation took place in the car–

Leslie asked," So, I've been informed you have no name. Is there something you want to be called until you do?"

The girl was playing with her hair, braiding and unbraiding sections of it as it rested on her right shoulder. The girl shrugged. She wasn't sure how she felt about continuing to call herself Violet, but it's not like she had a list of names lined up.

Leslie thought for a bit before suggesting," What about Lumi? It means snow in Finnish. Or maybe Bianca? It means white in Italian. It could be in reference to your hair."

The girl thought for a bit before raising her left hand and putting up her index finger.

Leslie nodded," Lumi it is then. Now, let's continue with your check-up. Step up to the scale please."


	2. Chapter 2

It was an hour before the two females came back out, finally finished. Bruce stood from his chair and Dick came out of his handstand.

Leslie said," There's some things I'd like to discuss with you. Let's go to my office." She turned and moved to her office, knowing they would follow.

Once in there, they got situated in the chairs. Leslie went to hers behind the desk. Bruce and Dick sat to the left of the room on the small couch. The girl went to the stool on the right, despite the couch being able to squeeze in another small child.

" The immediate problem is weight. For a girl that is four feet and six inches, she should be about seventy eight or eighty pounds. She is seventy one pounds, and two of that come from her tail," Leslie informed.

" Tail?" Bruce and Dick both asked at the same time. They looked at the girl, who now had a black tail with a spade on the end waving lazily through the air. The girl herself was running her fingers through her hair. She wasn't even paying attention or noticing their stares.

Leslie added," I also looked into her lack of speech, like you asked. It turns out the problem is she doesn't know how to instead of trauma or inability. Though, that's even more troubling for an eleven year old. Would you like to share the last bit of news?" She asked the young girl.

" H-hi. C-ca-ll m-me L-Lum-i for n-now? O-ok-okay?" She stammered, stumbling over the words as she attempted to fix her pronunciation. Her voice was rough from disuse, as well as quiet, but they could tell it would become beautiful with time.

Dick nodded excitedly. In his mind, the idea of having her around was a happy one. He had grown with such a big family, so a new addition made him burst with joy. Don't get me wrong, Bruce and Alfred were wonderful. It's just he craved for a big family again.

Bruce smiled at his son's actions. He knew he couldn't give Dick the big family accumulated at the circus. Of course Dick would take this as a sign of the girl accepting them and opening up. He turned to the girl and nodded once. He thanked Leslie and paid the bill before taking the two and leaving.

Alfred smiled as he heard Dick teaching the newly named Lumi how to say some words, using the same techniques Alfred had used with Dick. He asked," Shall I make a stop at the mall for the young miss?"

Bruce glanced over at Lumi, realizing she had no other clothes before saying," Yes, Alfred. That would be perfect."

This, of course, got the girl confused all over again. She had no idea what a mall was, none of the scientists had mentioned such a thing. Luckily, Dick caught the look and described it to her.

After twelve shopping bags and a few trips to Lumi's "guest" room –

" Thanks," the girl simply said as she stared at the pile of art supplies covering her desk. She was smiling, thinking of all the things she could do now that she had more than a beat up notebook and pencil. She definitely was starting over with the Robin drawing with the new supplies.

Eventually, she broke out of her stupor and asked," C-can I-I sh-show you some-thing? I wi-will ne-need some music first."

The three males all looked confused, but took her to the ballroom anyway. Lumi moved to the center of the room and the others stood near the wall. The music began playing some classical piece or another. She girl smiled as she activated the power the scientists had given her.

The music soon disappeared as bright purple strands of light began to float around the room. A circle appeared beneath Lumi. It looked like a sanguine summoning circle. She began picking at the strands, creating something.

When she ran her hand over it, the light and the circle disappeared, leaving behind a swirled, long, white shepherd's crook. The girl grasped her hands around it before twirling it once and slamming the end on the ground.

Alfred gasped in shock. He hadn't been expecting her to be able to do anything like this. He assumed the experiments gave her the tail and nothing else. Beside him, Bruce did something similar. However, Dick ran over to her, asking for the staff, and playing with it for a bit. When he finished, he declared," It's real. Like, she just turned the music into this solid object, and it isn't an illusion in any way. That is so cool!"

Lumi lightly smiled at the compliment. It had been the best day of her life already, and the only thing that could've made it better was if Green was there with her. _No!_ She reminded herself _He's with his real family now. He doesn't need you anymore_.

She explained," I w-wo-oke up one d-day. Af-ft-ter the scientists did another experiment. I didn't th-think it would have done an-anything. It ha-hadn't bef-fore then. But I could do this. Th-they called it Son-sono-kine-kinetic Cr-crea-tion. After that day, I needed some form of sound near me, whether it be natural, man-made, or mechanic. I thought you should know. it seems I'll be here aw-whi-while."

Bruce smiled, knowing she was getting better at her pronunciations already. It was only a matter of time before she could speak as well as anyone else her age. He also wondered if that was why she was always moving, playing with her hair or messing with her hands. It made sense. It would create a noise so small it wouldn't bug others, yet enough for her.

– About 4 month later, when she's actually been at this for a bit –

The sounds of gunshots became muted as the rain fell. A wind blew past, and each bullet was stopped with _just_ enough metal. It wasn't the first time this had happened. In fact, it was closer to the forty-ninth. After the Bat ended the super-powered place, people would catch a flash of purple, white, or black. With that glimpse, random new things appeared to help slow down or stop criminal operations.

After the fight, it would be nowhere to seen. No tracks found, as if it was never there in the first place. But the Bats knew it was, and were going to deal with it tonight.

The bats where fast when they needed to be, and she had been unprepared. Batman had launched a bolo at her as she was forming another platform. The sounds of the city muted in the area as the light swirled.

" You'll stop this at once. This is _my_ city." Batman ordered.

The girl sassed," You may have been raised in this city. You may have even bought the biggest amount of land in it. But this isn't your city. It's the criminals' city. It's _my_ city. It belongs to those from it, shaped by it, made by it.

" Trust me. I was definitely made by this city. Shaped by it. You could even say born from it. You're just a crazy guy in a bat-suit holding onto a naive hope. How many deaths could you have prevented if you killed? The Joker alone would've saved hundreds. Adding the other big baddies, maybe 250 more. Not to mention the lower thugs you don't even find worth your time. Or the ones lost to suicide, or the streets in their broken lives. Or the ones you don't even know of."

Batman asked," What do you mean by that last statement?"

The girl rattled off question after question," Do you know how _long_ I was locked up before you _finally_ found out about the lab? How many failed experiments I never saw again? How many times I _begged_ for a bullet to the brain? How long ago my sanity came up with the coping methods it needed to keep me from _making a fucking bomb_ next to me? Or what about the amount of experiments I was put through? The nights I couldn't sleep because there was no sound? The _feeling_ of my blood freezing as my flesh boils and brain just wants to _burst?_

" What about all the organizations that fly under the radar? The people who's broken souls mangled their minds? Scientists that couldn't handle it were shot right before the others for examples. The amount of food so small a street rat gets better. The bodies hidden? The families not _knowing_ what even happened?"

By this point, she was crying. Heart-wrenching sobs. She finished," No. _You_ don't know _shit_. I _knew_ the Bat was dark, but I thought the reason he _existed_ was family preservation. Guess it was just _revenge_ and a _screwed sense_ of justice. At least villains have the decency to _let us die_. You couldn't even grant us that." She was curling on herself, obviously her mind went places she didn't need and couldn't handle.

Robin went to comfort the girl. He tried to wrap her in a hug, but she pushed him off. She screamed," You're just as bad! You want to be like _him_! I can't _believe_ the others looked up to you! Why can you never see the _pain_ and _suffering_ that _never changed_ from the day I was taken?! _God_ , all I remember is a crack run and a blood-filled sidewalk!"

Robin was deeply frowning. As Lumi, she hadn't mentioned any of this. When asked, she'd shrug it off or pretend to not listen. How had he not seen the hurt in her? Was he really this bad at reading body language? The biggest regret, he didn't know how to fix this. If he even could fix this.

He bit his lip before glancing at Batman. He silently asked, _Can I?_ Batman merely nodded as slight as possible, frozen at the outburst from the girl he hoped to adopt.

Robin turned back to the girl and asked," Would you want to join us? In the hero gig, I mean. We can train you, add you to our duo. As long as you don't kill anyone, we'll support you and you'll support us."

The girl kept crying for what seemed like hours but was only minutes. She slowly nodded as she tried to breath. She added," One condition. Don't pry for info about me. It's not a rabbit hole I want to revisit, and not one I'm sure I can without a panic attack or mental snap."

Robin asked," Just one thing. Please? How long were you locked up with the scientists?"

Staring at him very seriously, she answered," They took me on my third birthday."

That was when their hearts finally crashed and Lumi fell asleep.


End file.
